5 easy tips for reducing stress for mums in business

Recently I found myself suffering with a frozen right shoulder. It was extremely uncomfortable, especially while sleeping.

But life still had to go on, I had to look after a three year old, work on my business, chores etc. I wasn’t sleeping well at night and generally crabby and irritable. Unable to work at my computer (believe me I tried!) and with a phone that died, more demands on my time than usual, this past week has been pretty horrendous.

Now I definitely learnt something from this experience (don’t you love a story with a moral?). So here are my five tips for other stressed mums in business who feel like the world is collapsing around them but still need to be there for their kids and business.

1. Make that medical appointment

From past experience (I had a frozen neck at the same time last year) I should have made that critical appointment at the earliest with my physiotherapist and not subjected myself to so much anxiety by waiting until I was in acute agony. So if you’re in pain and it’s interfering with your daily life, for God’s sake go and see a medical professional! Remember that analogy of putting on your oxygen mask first before attending to others?

2. Take a day or two off

If you’re in pain or worn out, the best thing you can do is take a time out and relax. Stop working and take a day or two off to recharge your batteries. Apart from email, do not respond to anything else. My advice is to stay away from your phone altogether.

3. Get off social media

Ever get the feeling that the world is moving too fast on Facebook and Twitter? I had that feeling when I was sick and checking the social networks. I finally switched off completely for a week and guess what happened? The world came back to normal. So if social media is causing you to stress, turn it off and see how much better you feel.

P.S. Anyone wanting to get in touch with you can use old fashioned text and phone calls. Much simpler!

4. Meditate and exercise

When did you last take time to do yoga or simply sit in silence?. If like me you don’t remember then you’re long overdue for an exercise session. If you don’t have time to attend a class, say hello to YouTube. During the frozen neck fiasco, I started watching YouTube yoga videos and I swear it helped me heal faster and sleep much more deeply. Roll out your mat once the kids are in bed instead of attending to emails or scrolling through your Twitter feed.

5. Clear your to-do list

We mums have never ending to-do lists! Ask any mum when she last completed hers and you may get an eye roll with the answer “Never”! If erasing the to-do list is too much for you, go through yours right now and see what you can delete from it. Less tasks means less stress and more time for fun!

Hope these tips help you next time you feel stressed. Don’t wait for a frozen muscle to remind you to take it easy and look after your health.

Rashida Tayabali is a copywriter covering health and wellbeing, business, women's lifestyle, career, corporate communications and parenting. She loves nothing more than a good book, finding the right words and a cup of tea strictly in that order. Rashida has written for big brand businesses, government and magazines. Visit www.rashidatayabali.com.au to say hi!